Horror Punk is a term you hear thrown around a lot these days. With bands like The Misfits to AFI and more recently The Murder Dolls. Now comes Mutant Reavers a heavy metal/punk band out of and it’s a term that fits the band and their music very well.
After releasing a few EPs over recent years, the band has now released their first full album titled Monster Punk. This album combines their love for horror, old-school punk and metal, creating a 14-track album with a sound that’s raw, fast, unforgiving and totally uncompromising. It’s one you won’t become tired of quickly.
Frontman Oil Wonka, shows off quite the impressive vocal range throughout, with a mix of aggressive and shouting vocals to a more melodic sound. The change of vocal style works surprisingly well throughout the album. It’s a well-balanced mix of metal and punk its constructed in such a way that one genre never dominates the other. The horror and sci-fi based themes may come across a little bit unconventional at times, however, the band manages to make it work really well in their unique, punk style. Most songs on this album range between two to four minutes in length, which on average is about right for an album like this. I found that on the shorter songs, you’d find yourself wanting them to last longer. Just as you get fully into the song, it ends.
The musicianship throughout is always top quality and it never falters. My personal favourite in this regard was the amusingly titled “Abstract of Demon Hunting”.
The length of this album clocks in at 42 minutes, which makes it feel unnecessarily long, given that it is made up of a fair few shorter songs. Towards the end it began to feel like it was starting to drag. I kept wondering to myself whether less would be more? However, there are moments on this album that really capture your imagination and you’ll find yourself repeating the songs time and time again.
My personal picks would be “Body of an Android”, “The Night of Halloween” and “Behind the Rows”. Another stand out tracks also include “Lobotomies for Everyone” and “Down on Your Knees (Earthlings)”.
Overall, the creativity in the sci-fi horror, made it feel as if some songs resembled a story which kept the album flowing nicely throughout.
Mutant Reavers have created something in Monster Punk that doesn’t follow all the hallmarks of a punk album. It does showcase the band’s musicianship, as well as their creativity. It’s a very unique listen at times, but it’s something I’ve listened to more than once and enjoyed on every occasion. For a debut album, this loud and aggressive offering sure leaves it mark.
Monster Punk is out now via Wolverine Records.
